A former elementary school teacher in California, who was previously awarded “teacher of the year,” pleaded guilty to having sex with a minor. The charges pertained to a case involving the grooming of two underage boys, aged 11 and 12. Jacqueline Ma, a former Lincoln Acres Elementary School teacher, was named the county’s highest teacher award in 2022.
However, Ma has now admitted to four sexual misconduct charges, including sexual intercourse with a minor and possession of obscene materials involving a minor. The former teacher could face up to 30 years in prison during her scheduled sentencing in May. This would amount to a considerably shorter sentence than the 165 years to life she could have faced in state prison if convicted on all 19 felony charges.
Leighangela Brady, the superintendent of the National School District, issued a statement to families about Ma’s guilty plea. “Two years ago, when we learned of the allegations of inappropriate physical activity between this former educator and a minor, we were stunned to our core,” Brady said.
The superintendent noted that swift action was taken after the allegations surfaced against Ma. “Although she was immediately placed on unpaid status and has been detained ever since, I want to assure our school community that with this guilty plea, we are now able to formally move to terminate her employment with the district.”
Reportedly, Ma was initially arrested in March 2023 when a concerned parent suspected that her son was possibly engaged in an inappropriate relationship with the teacher. Ma was released on bail, but then rearrested after evidence of child pornography was found. Upon being arrested for the second time, Ma was held without bail.
Libs of TikTok posted about the news on X, writing, “Former California ‘Teacher of the Year’ Jacqueline Ma sobbed in court as she pleaded guilty to having sexual relationships with two students, aged 11 and 12. She faces 30 years to life in prison.” The post sparked intense discourse about what should be done to protect children in the classroom.
Many comments suggested that teachers should undergo psychological evaluations. “I don’t get it. I’m a physical outdoor worker who, does tree removal and landscaping for a company, and I have to have a psych evaluation every 3 years as part of a cyclical medical. And people who work with children are left to their own devices?” one person said.
"*" indicates required fields
Watch news coverage about Ma’s case below:
Claiming there is a problematic rise in incidents like this one, another user sounded the alarm writing, “The number of school teachers r*ping, m*lesting and abusing children is at epidemic proportions, Yet no democrat politicians are upset. It seems there is a new story every day. Could it be possible that our public schools are just ‘grooming factories’ for democrats?”
Others joined in on the sentiment that there should be stricter standards for teachers. “Might be time to administer strict psych evals for incoming teachers…right after we demand they be tested on the subject matter they’ll teach and let them know they’ll lose their job if they share their personal life details, and political or religious beliefs with students,” one person asserted.
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.